Norman girls team hard to categorize
I had an interesting thought while talking with Norman girls basketball coach Matilda Mossman the other day. We were talking about the best teams in Class 6A and in doing so, it made me realize that Norman can’t be put in a group.
For starters, the conversation about the best `girls teams in 6A starts and ends with Midwest City. I said. “There’s Midwest City and there’s everybody else.”
But then, in reeling off a handful of schools in the next tier of teams, I realized Norman wasn’t easy to categorize. The Tiger aren’t as talented as Midwest City (no one else is, for that matter), but with three starters (point guard Kamra King, shooting guard Chelsea Key and forward Jeannie Ramon) back from last year’s state semifinal team that took MWC into overtime before falling, they’re above most of the rest of the field.
Now, there are two other teams and a wildcard that I might put on the same tier as Norman. Tulsa Union and Edmond North both are coming off a state-tourney season, have several starters back and each has a star player (Elizabeth Donohoe for EN, Carrington Fox for Union). The wildcard is Edmond Santa Fe, and that’s just because the Wolves have maybe the most exciting player in 6A in sophomore Courtney Walker. A talent like Walker can make a team better than its parts.
So, I see a three-level separation of teams. 1. MWC; 2. Norman,
Edmond North, Tulsa Union and maybe Edmond Santa Fe. 3. Del City, Lawton, Edmond Memorial, Norman North, Owasso and Putnam City North.
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Semifinal sites set
Here’s the semifinal times/dates:
Class 6A
Jenks vs. Southmoore, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Putnam City Stadium
Tulsa Union vs. Broken Arrow, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, University of Tulsa
Class 5A
El Reno vs. Carl Albert, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Putnam City Stadium
Bixby vs. Guthrie, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stillwater High School
Class 4A
Weatherford vs. Douglass, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Yukon
Star Spencer vs. Sallisaw, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sapulpa
Class 3A
Seq. Claremore vs. Cascia Hall, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collinsville
Berryhill vs. Dewey, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Skiatook
Class B
Garber vs. Laverne, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Woodward
Ryan vs. Canton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Norman
Class C
DC-Lamont vs. Timberlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Enid
Seiling vs. Forgan, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Woodward
Norman sports this week
Norman sports this week:
Tuesday
Girls basketball at Lawton, 6:15 p.m.
Boys basketball at Lawton, 8 p.m.
Three Norman North, two Norman softball players honored
Norman North fastpitch softball players Alexis Richardson, Tara Travis and Andrea Smith each were named to the Mid-State Conference first team. Norman put a pair of players on the first team as Amy Vanderburg and Breanna Cosme each were honored.
Moore softball standouts Sydney Garcia, Brianna Nunley, Alex Milligan and Tara Martini all were selected to the fastpitch Mid-State Conference first team.
Westmoore’s Kendra Pierce and Michelle Keppel were chosen for the first team as well. Southmoore also placed a pair of players on the first team in Chelsi Hill and Maria Hilterbran.
Catching up with former Norman High football coach Butch Peters
This story isn’t posted on the high school blog, so in case you missed it in print, here’s my report on catching up with former Norman High football coach Butch Peters:
NORMAN — Butch Peters resigned as Norman High School football coach following the 2007 season. It was the end of a 35-year tenure with the Tigers.
And yet, though nobody could have been more entrenched with the city’s athletic community given the length of time he spent coaching at Norman, since he’s been gone he may be even more up to speed on the local talent. In fact, he’s getting a good idea about the town’s top athletes a lot earlier than most.
“The way it’s worked out, I didn’t really get out of the loop, I just took a different direction,” Peters said.
Peters owns and operates Sooner Trophies and Awards in Norman. And because he’s the contact for team hardware, coaches from pee-wee soccer to both the high schools are in his shop on a regular basis.
“I’m working with a lot of little league coaches in pretty much all (youth league) sports and I get to see coaches from all four middles schools in town and both high schools. And I really enjoy talking to them.”
Parents, too. Peters’ trophy shop, which he runs with his wife and oldest daughter, gets the scoop on the young up-and-comers from all the moms and dads who come in to get more personalized awards for their kids’ teams.
“We make the trophies in the shop. You use component parts and we’re a custom shop that allows people to come in and choose what they want,” said the 61-year old Peters. “You start to recognize a lot of the names of the kids.
“And I’ve even had players I’ve coached come in because they’re coaching teams now, and that’s been pretty neat.”
The list of players Peters coached during his time as an assistant (23 seasons) and head coach (12) at Norman is long and distinguished. More than 35 players who were under his guidance went on the Division I-A careers, including current Oklahoma star receiver Ryan Broyles.
In his time at Norman, Peters also served as the volleyball coach from 1977-1990, winning four state championships, including a 50-0 season in 1990. Peters’ football squads went a combined 75-54 from 1996-2007.
Peters misses the relationship with the players and assistant coaches and, of course, the energy of high school football friday nights.
“After 35 years, that was a real change of pace,” Peters said. “That was the hardest thing for me to do — go sit down and watch a football game on Friday nights.
After keeping a little distance in his first season away from the job, Peters returned to Harve Collins Field for home games this year.
“I’ve made several of them,” he said of the Tigers’ games. “If I don’t go, I catch the high school TV games. I try to keep up with the kids that I still know, some of the younger kids from my last year. And there are four or five assistant coaches that I hired that are still there and it’s good to see those guys once a week.”
Peters is also a regular at Alcott Middle School football games, where his grandson Colton is a seventh-grade quarterback. His granddaughter, Ashton, is a second-grader who keeps Peters constantly traveling to Griffin Park for soccer and softball games.
“It’s been a big change,” Peters said. “Some of the things you miss, some it’s good to get away from. But I stay busy and I’m enjoying what I do.”
